Fatah calls for violence and “rage” following Friday terror attack

Following the terror attack on Friday, in which 2 Israeli border policemen were murdered near the Temple Mount, Fatah rebroadcast Abbas' implicit call to violence from 2014:

Abbas: "We must all carry out Ribat [religious conflict] in the Al-Aqsa Mosque... We have to prevent them, in any way whatsoever, from entering the Sanctuary... They have no right to enter it. They have no right to defile it. We must prevent them. Let us stand before them with chests bared to protect our holy places."

[Official Fatah Facebook page, July 15, 2017,

rebroadcast of Abbas' speech on official PA TV, Oct. 17, 2014]

In his speech in 2014, which official PA TV broadcast 19 times in 3 days, Abbas called on Palestinians to defend Al-Aqsa "in any way whatsoever." It marked the beginning of a month of terror attacks in Jerusalem in which 11 Israelis were murdered in car rammings and stabbing attacks.

Rebroadcasting Abbas' speech, which in 2014 was followed by terror and violence, stands in stark contrast to Abbas' conversation with Israeli PM Netanyahu in which he "expressed his strong opposition to and his condemnations of the event that took place at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque." It also contradicts his statement that he "opposes any event of violence from any side, particularly at places of worship." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 15, 2017]

In the speech rebroadcast by Fatah, Abbas calls on Palestinians to "prevent" Jews from "defiling" the Muslim and Christian holy places. Abbas used the same kind of hate speech to spark violence in September 2015, when hedescribed Jews on the Temple Mount as "filth":

"The Al-Aqsa [Mosque] is ours... and they have no right to defile it with their filthy feet. We will not allow them to, and we will do everything in our power to protect Jerusalem."

Abbas then also "bless[ed] every drop of blood that has been spilled for Jerusalem," stating that "every Martyr will reach Paradise, and everyone wounded will be rewarded by Allah."

In addition to rebroadcasting Abbas' speech with the implicit call for violence, Fatah posted photos of the terrorist murderers, calling them "Martyrs," and also called for Palestinian "rage":

Posted text: "The Al-Aqsa Mosque Martyrs (Shahids)"

[Official Fatah Facebook page, July 14, 2017]

Posted text:

"At the Al-Aqsa Mosque plazas

The doves fly

The dew falls

The laughter of the innocent birds has died

And the morning is silent while the voice of the Muezzin(i.e., the person who sings the Muslim call to prayer) calls out... [ellipsis in source]

The time of rage has come!"

[Official Fatah Facebook page, July 14, 2017, emphasis added]

In addition, in a statement that focused primarily on Fatah's condemnation of Israel's closure of the Temple Mount in response to Friday's terror attack, Fatah presented Israel's killing of the three terrorists after they had murdered the Israeli policemen as "murder in cold blood," stressing that "Israel takes pleasure in murder for murder's sake." [Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 15, 2017]

Also noteworthy is the PA and Fatah policy of repackaging every Palestinian terror attack as if it is defensive - as if it is a justified response to some Israeli provocation:

"The Israeli occupation and the systematic Israeli policy of oppressing the members of our Palestinian people, particularly in Jerusalem, preventing the free access of believers to the holy sites, and the repeating invasions of the Al-Aqsa Mosque plazas by settlers are the root of the problem. They are the beginning of the endless cycle of violence, and they are the factor that necessarily leads to Palestinians being murdered over and over in cold blood, with no consideration for the sanctity of the site and the sanctity of life, as Israel takes pleasure in murder for murder's sake."

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 15, 2017]

Fatah likewise called on Palestinians not to "enter into confrontations" with Israel "that cost us much blood without a result that is worth the price that is being paid." According to Palestinian Authority ideology and teachings,terror needs proper timing and therefore is permitted and should be used at the discretion of the leadership when the leadership feels it will lead to political gains. Here, Fatah explains that this terror attack was not "worth the price."

"Our people must avoid being dragged into a place that is convenient for Israel while seeking the best ways to defend its land and its holy sites. Regardless of all that has happened, more is required of our people than just entering into confrontations with the occupation that cost us much blood without a result that is worth the price that is being paid."

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 15, 2017]

The following are longer excerpts of the cited articles :

Headline: "Wall-to-wall national and Arab condemnation of the occupation's closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque"

"The Fatah Movement called on the Palestinians to go up to the Al-Aqsa Mosque following Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu's] decision to completely close the mosque yesterday (Friday) [July 14, 2017] (the Temple Mount was closed in response to a terror attack at the site that morning in which 2 Israeli border policemen were murdered, see note below. It was reopened on Sunday, July 16, 2017 -Ed.).

The movement said in a press statement yesterday: 'The Israeli occupation and the systematic Israeli policy of oppressing the members of our Palestinian people, particularly in Jerusalem, preventing the free access of believers to the holy sites, and the repeating invasions of the Al-Aqsa Mosque plazas by settlers are the root of the problem. They are the beginning of the endless cycle of violence, and they are the factor that necessarily leads to Palestinians being murdered over and over in cold blood, with no consideration for the sanctity of the site and the sanctity of life, as Israel takes pleasure in murder for murder's sake.'

The statement also said: 'The Palestinian position must rise above the occupation from a moral standpoint. Our people must avoid being dragged into a place that is convenient for Israel while seeking the best ways to defend its land and its holy sites. Regardless of all that has happened, more is required of our people than just entering into confrontations with the occupation that cost us much blood without a result that is worth the price that is being paid. There is a need for popular activity, particularly in Jerusalem. The city and the holy sites in it must be defended, and Israel must not be allowed to do as it pleases with the members of our people there. The position of the Fatah Movement must be officially supported, and more precisely the massive and sweeping popular resistance, and our young people must not be pressed to seek alternatives at a time when they know in advance that they are entering an uneven battle against the Israeli murder machine.'

The movement called on the masses of our people 'to head to the Al-Aqsa Mosque today, to pray in it, and to break the Israeli siege, whose goal is to change the characteristics of the holy city [of Jerusalem] and to Judaize it.' It added: 'O masses of our people that stands firm and stands on guard! Go up to the Al-Aqsa Mosque!'"

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 15, 2017]

Headline: "The [PA] President [Abbas] emphasized during a conversation with Netanyahu his opposition to any event of violence from any side, especially at places of worship; [he] demands to cancel the Israeli steps that led to the closing of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and warns against taking advantage of them to change the religious and historical status quo of the holy sites"

"Yesterday [July 14, 2017] a phone call was held between [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The president expressed his strong opposition to and his condemnations of the event that took place at the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque (i.e., the murder of 2 Israeli Druze border policemen by 3 Israeli Arab terrorists who were subsequently killed, on July 14, 2017), and also emphasized that he opposes any event of violence from any side, particularly at places of worship.

President Abbas demanded to cancel Israel's closure of the Al-Aqsa Mosque to worshippers, and warned of the consequences of these steps and against any party taking advantage of them in order to change the religious and historical status quo of the holy sites.

Netanyahu emphasized that the status quo at the holy sites will not change. He also demanded that all sides calm things down."

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 15, 2017]

Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad Jabarin, Muhammad Hamed Abd Al-Latif Jabarin, and Muhammad Ahmad Mufaddal Jabarin - Israeli Arab terrorists aged 29, 19, and 19, who shot from the Temple Mount at Israeli policemen, murdering 2 Israeli Druze border policemen - Haiel Stawi and Kamil Shnaan, on July 14, 2017. Two of the terrorists were shot and killed by other policemen during the attack. The third terrorist was shot and killed while trying to flee.